Island of Storms
by Loopy Lupa
Summary: Chapter Five! A ship has come to the town of Mati, and no one knows exactly what to think. And no one knows just what kind of adventure cane come of the outsiders' arrival.
1. Chapter One: An Ill Fated Tourney

This is the first Animal Crossing fic I have ever attempted (not surprising since the game only came out two months ago). I have the basic plot in my mind, but I really don't know where I want to take it. Any ideas are welcome from reviewers.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Animal Crossing. It belongs to those masterminds at Nintendo, such as its producer, Mr. Iwata. I own this plot, though, so no one can steal it from me (I hope).  
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**_Island of Storms_**  
By CassieLH   
  
  
Chapter One: An Ill-Fated Tourney

  
  
  
  
THE SUN LENT its golden light to the beach-goers living in the miniscule town of Mati. Almost every inhabitant was there in the late afternoon, watching Henrietta the duck trying once more to catch a fish to rival the twenty-four inch sea bass Minsky the red squirrel caught only an hour before. All she managed to get from the ocean were the short red snappers that seemed to take a liking to her lure. Minsky stood by, laughing at the crazed antics of her friend.   
  
  
"Gracious, Henrietta," the squirrel said before laughs, tail shaking back and forth in delight. "I don't believe you'll ever get a good fish. Do you want some help, dear?"   
  
  
Chip the beaver who came by every Sunday to judge the fishing tourney, also was overcome with laughs as Henrietta surfaced yet another red snapper- this one a full twenty inches long. "Tch, tch." he said, shaking his head. "I think we'd better call it quits, old girl. You're not going to catch a bigger fish. Though, I wouldn't say no to some of those that you _are_ pulling up. I have a certain liking of those snappers."   
  
  
"No, I'll catch a bigger one!" the determined duck replied, growling through her beak as she pulled up an old boot. The gathered crowd let loose another wave of laughter, stifled unsuccessfully behind paws.   
  
  
"Perhaps it's time we disperse." Old Tortimor, the mayor of Mati, said, stepping in front of the townies. "Give Henrietta a chance to catch some fish without the stress of all of us breathing down her neck."   
  
  
Snouts lowered disappointedly; it had turned out to be a very good show. "Just one more fish?" the bear cub Martin asked. "This is the most fun I've been allowed to have in days!"   
  
  
His mother placed a hand around his blue shoulder. "Come on, my son," Sniggar, the only animal in town who could match ages with the mayor, told him. "We do have some chores to do. I've been up late sewing again, and I need a little helper to deliver the clothes for me."   
  
  
Martin's sad sigh was not heard by any, as a loud shout from Battam the otter smothered out everything, even Chip's excited declaration that the sea bass Henrietta had just brought him was twenty-five inches long. In startlement from the shout, the beaver ate the fish in a single bite.   
  
  
"Everyone! Look at that!" the otter's brown paw was pointed out towards the sea, where a dark shape had appeared on the far horizon.   
  
  
"Oh, my, what is it?" the sheep Vesta spoke up, shifting her scarf as she often did while nervous. "It looks like some horrible monster! And it's coming right this way! It will eat us for sure!"   
  
  
There was no way to tell which way the shape was heading, and at the distance no one could tell quite what it did look like. However, her words drew panic into the villagers. Kiddie threw his snout up in the air and howled in fear, closing his eye with the brown patch. The koala Inez bowled the beagle over in an attempt to get off the coast. She was blocked by the powerful, brown wing of Artry.   
  
  
Artry the eagle was the born leader of Mati. She craned her powerful neck skyward and screeched, a very deafening sound. The panicked animals stopped all motion, an awkward thing for the small mouse Carmen, who was busy climbing on Tak the cat's black shoulders to better see their new threat. "Now that you are calm," Artry said in her powerfully loud voice, "let's try to get through this logically."   
  
  
"Yes," Mayor Tortimor seconded, "we do not know what this thing is. If it happens to be coming this way, we'll make peace with it. Artry, you have better eyesight than any of us" -at this point, the old turtle pawed his spectacles- "do you suppose you can try to figure out what in the world it is?"   
  
  
The eagle nodded her golden head and stepped between the black bat Rimar and Battam. "I can try." she said. Her sharp eyes focused on the shape and narrowed. "I am not sure, Mayor Tortimor, but I think it is a ship, a very big one."   
  
  
Chatter picked up again between the animals. Minsky joined Chip and Henrietta to listen to the travelling beaver's tales of ships he had seen before. Usually they contained friends of his, but sometimes they were pirate ships, holding pirates who liked to steal furniture and bells from innocent animals. Battam described what he could see of the ship to his dim-eyed friend Rimar.   
  
  
"It is coming this way." Artry confirmed, still straining to keep the far-off ship in sight. "It should arrive around the evening time, if the wind stays as strong as it is. Their sails are full blown and they're coming in pretty quickly." Voices raged at her words, everyone discussing what they should do when the mysterious ship arrived.   
  
  
"We should lock ourselves inside our houses!" Vesta declared, white wool shivering about her. "This ship is bringing trouble to the town, I just know it!"   
  
  
There were a few murmurs of agreement. Rimar, who wasn't liking the sound of the ship from his friend otter's point of view, shouted loudly, "I think we should stay here and attack the ship when if it tries to take harbor at our dock!"   
  
  
"Hold it, hold it!" Mayor Tortimor was able to speak again after Artry sounded her cry once more. "We are a town of peace. Attacking this ship would not be the true Mati thing to do. We can go home now, but tonight all of us will be at the dock to welcome this ship and offer lodging to its crew."   
  
  
No one spoke, and no one left. The fishing tourney was forgotten by all as the afternoon was spent watching the shape grow bigger and bigger. The sun retreated, allowing the moon to surface in its wake to light the land with its dim glow. Faces become grim as the three great masts make their approach and little animals could be seen on the wooden surface.   
  
  
One animal, one who looked almost like a turtle yet was not quite there, stood on the stern, cupping his hands to his yellow mouth to project his words to land. "Ahoy, there, me buckoes!" he called, giving a small bow that spilled a couple drops of water from his bald, bowl-like head, "I be the Kapp'n of this 'ere ship, the Wet Scoundrel. We be a-requestin' permission to take up dock 'ere in yer town fer the night."   
  
  
Mayor Tortimor nodded to Artry. The great eagle opened her beak and shouted out the reply. "You are very welcome to stay here in Mati, but any weapons you possess must be left aboard your ship. The mayor of our town wishes no violence during your stay."   
  
  
The ship continued its approach. The Kapp'n was able to lower his hands, a regular speaking voice would do for him now. "Aye, we agree with that, don't we, me mateys?" the heads of scruffy mammals and reptiles nodded back with "Arghs" of their own. "We only wish ter stay the night, and ask fer some 'elp. We be not pirates, and we don't own many weapons anyhow."   
  
  
It didn't look as though the large ship would be able to dock at the small, wooden seven planked portion of a bridge that served as a dock for the two fishing boats owned by the townies. Somehow, though, the flat-bottomed ship built to dock in shallow waters managed to take a good spot. Within minutes, the Kapp'n and his crew of squirrels, pups, otters, and crocodiles were on land getting familiar with the inhabitants of Mati.   
  
  
Martin and Sniggar were taking to an older otter who called himself Patch because of the black eye-patch he wore over his missing eye. "Hey, there, Mr. Patch," the young bear said, after his mother became friendly with the creature, "d'you know any good stories? I like to listen to stories, but I know all the ones Mama tells."   
  
  
Kapp'n and the mayor joined them. "Aye, we know some stories. It be a story almost out o' a storybook that brings us 'ere. I'll be lettin' me matey Patch tell 'ee the story, though, I'm no good fer that sort."   
  
  
The mayor ordered a fire built near the Wishing Well. The flames let smoke up into the sky as Patch began to tell the story.   
  
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So there's the first chapter. Go ahead and review if you want. I'll post the next chapter sooner or later, regardless of if anyone reads it. Like I said, all ideas are welcome, I'll probably be needing them soon. 


	2. Chapter Two: Patch's Tale

Chapter Two: Patch's Tale

  
  
  
  
"I S'POSE THE tale begins a few months ago, when alla us lived on our own island. 'Twas a big ole island, nearly a continent I'd say. And it was so beautyful. We 'ad trees o' alla sorts: coconuts, oranges, apples, even some pears like ye gots 'ere. The beaches gave us fish and the sand felt good under a creature's paws. The sun would move all lazy like.. ah, I miss that ole island, and that be a fact." Patch's face was streaked with delight in the light of the fire. He dropped the tone of happiness when he went on to describe the fateful afternoon.   
  
  
It had been a fine, mid-summer day. Kapp'n and a crew of six animals were fresh from an expedition of the seas and a feast was taking place in the central island long hut. The fish and fruit and tree sap syrups and milks were expertly cooked by the women of the island to become pies, soups, cakes and teas.   
  
  
Kapp'n had every in a gripping tale of the crews' capture on an island of savage raccoons (which explained why five members of the crew had not returned) when a scream summoned the party's attention. Creatures ran to the door of the hut and saw that one of their own had barely been slain.   
  
  
The young squirrel Valerence had been out gathering some more fruit for the feast, and now lay dead at the hands of pirates. Their ship, Cabin Snatcher, had followed the Wet Scoundrel stealthily and came on to the island while the feast was under way. The grinning faces of seacats, hippos, ducks, and a number of other nasty-looking animals grinned behind waving cutlasses.   
  
  
"Haharr, I daclare this island terr'tory o' the great pirate queen, the human Mai." the corsair captain of the pirates, a bearded cat called Cap'n Bentwhiskers, said. The yellow and brown striped beast stepped to the head of the group, showing off a set of teeth in colours that matched his thick fur. "An', as the Cap'n o' the Cabin Snatcher, it be me job ter send alla yer yeller bellies into the current. Aye, does anyone stand agains' me?"   
  
  
It was the leader of the group of islanders, and elderly rhino called Skip, who took up the challenge. "Aye, I'll do it. My people are peaceful, but we refuse to let our home be taken from us. Fight me, ye rotten corsair!"   
  
  
Here Patch's voice broke in the story-telling. The entire crew of the Wet Scoundrel, twenty-odd animals of varying species, bowed their heads. Vesta saw tears from the kappa captain's eyes. "They did fight." Patch said solemnly, "The pirates gave Old Skip a heavy, golden blade from their plunder to battle with." he paused to wipe a tear from his remaining eye. "Our pore leader was slain before he could even lift it from the ground. 'Ee fell back with Bentwhisker's cutlass in his chest."   
  
  
All animals present bowed their snouts and gave a moment of respectful silence. Even Martin, who was too little to properly understand what was happening, gave his remorse.   
  
  
"I will always cry fer me old pal Skip," Patch scratched his eye-patch with a paw, as though wiping tears from it, and heaved a sob before continuing, "but it was thanks to his sacrifice that the rest o' us got away alive."   
  
  
Proud with having picked off their leader so easily, Captain Bentwhiskers decided to have fun with the rest of the islanders. Chaining all of the women together and locking them inside the long hut, the seacat corsair sent them away on a "quest".   
  
  
"Ye pathetic animals need ter do _something_ with yer lives." Bentwhiskers had declared. "So I am sendin' yer away. Take yer ship an' set out. If ye don't all die in the first week, gather yerselves sum help among places not yet touched by Mai. When ye fell that ye have an army, cum back 'ere and challenge us fer yer home back."   
  
  
Laughs from the pirates followed. None thought the island animals would ever return. A month's worth of fruits and sapmilk was packed aboard the Wet Scoundrel, and they had set sail by nightfall.   
  
  
The cabin series furniture that filled the dormitories and crew quarters were folded up and placed as their bitten leaf forms into the storage compartments. Hammocks were brought out in their stead, lining the walls and crammed into every extra space. The single level of dorms was built to house only around fifteen animals, not nearly forty.   
  
  
Space wasn't a problem after their first week. A deadly disease passed among the animals, killing over half of them. "I think he planned that one," Patch said, recalling the details. "'Ee said we'd probably all die in the first week, and most of us did. It was only an immunity among us that saved the Wet Scoundrel from the fate of being an eternal ghost ship."   
  
  
The remains of the crew set their dead brethren and friends to rest by lining them in the single lifeboat of the ship and lowering it to the water. As the current carried it off, the crew prayed that the bodies would return to their island. "Now only be it the propa' thing ter do fer our mates, we want those pirates ter see we are not yet defeated. If they know some o' us were still alive ter send the rest back, they might begin ter fear our return." Patch added passionately.   
  
  
During the sailing, the crew saw many islands and hundreds of other towns along the coast. They wished to land and restock their food supplies, but all of the islands were marked with a flag: the black background flag with the Hiragana characters for Mai written on it with a blood red colour. Before their departure from home, the corsair captain had warned them that the Wet Scoundrel was known through all of Mai's territory and any pirate who saw it would board and take over immediately.   
  
  
"We were close enough to the land to see the creatures without them being able to identify us. Innocent animals of all sorts were bein' forced ter become slaves when Mai's pirates took over. Kapp'n made 'is vow at the first port we passed. He said 'e'd get an army as big as could fit onboard and save alla those pore slaves."   
  
  
"Aye," Kapp'n agreed, nodding his head in a way that made that made the water in his cupped head slosh. "We're gonna defeat the corsairs what did this and save the pore ole slaves. We'll take over ships and create our own fleet. When we return ter our home, that ole Cap'n Bentwhiskers'll never know what hit 'im."   
  
  
The rest of the story was easy in the telling. Basically, they all believed they were going to die from lack of fresh food and water when a welcome sight met their eyes. It was the town of Mati, unmarked by Mai and completely free of the dark human's power.   
  
  
When Patch was finished, Mayor Tortimer leaned forward, wrinkled green face alive in the orange glow of the flames. "So, you came to Mati asking for help. My friends, I should much like to give it to you. I am much too old fore such a thing, but I can name more than one whipper-snapper around here who'd chop off two hands to go with you."   
  
  
Martin jumped up eagerly. Hooking his forefingers in imitation of hooks and stepping forward on two knees, he spoke to Kapp'n in what he thought to be the perfect pirate voice. "Yaharr, me Kapp'n. Oi'll chop off alla four o' me paws ta join ye crew. Avast, me shipmates, Oi'll be a-sailin' with ye soon 'nough!"   
  
  
Sniggar grabbed the neck of his shirt and pulled him back. "You will not be joining these islanders, Martin. You will stay at home where you're safe. Also, you will not be walking on your knees anymore. You've scuffed that polar fleece I made for you."   
  
  
"Let the boy play, haharr!" Kapp'n said, smiling and laughing at the child. "Matey, ye shouldn' chop of yer paws. Ye'll need 'em when we get out ter sea."   
  
  
The great eagerly sitting beside him laughed. Then, becoming serious again, Artry took charge. "All of us except the mayor, Sniggar and me should go with Kapp'n. This includes Martin, they're going to need every single able-bodied creature that can lend their paws."   
  
  
The blue bear opened her mouth to complain, but Vesta drowned her voice out. Fidgeting with the static scarf around her neck again, she spoke so loudly that it surprised her. "No, I shouldn't go. I wouldn't be any help. Poor, little, timid Vesta, ha ha. No, Artry should go in my place."   
  
  
"Nonsense!" Artry said. "An eagle is no use over the ocean. I can't fly very well, and my years are finally beginning to catch up to me."   
  
  
Tortimer took up his role of mayor before Vesta could defend her side. "Everyone should go home and get to sleep before it's too late. You all want to get an early start tomorrow, right?" he said loudly to make sure no one else would interrupt him, "As for the crew of the Wet Scoundrel, you are very welcome to stay in the four welcome to stay in the four we have by the train station tonight. Artry, Sniggar, come with me. We shall have to talk to Tom about some decent food supplies for the crew. Perhaps we can even talk him into donating some new furniture."   
  
  
So the group dispersed, all animals holding in yawns as they prepared for the bed unable to hold in their excitement. Martin the bear cub changed from his polar fleece (which was still as good as new) into the houndstooth he wore to bed every night wishing he could leave that very second. As he slept in his ranch bed awaiting his mother's return from Tom Nook's shop, he dreamt of being the hero of the animals: able to take out a ship of pirates with a single swipe of his paw. 


	3. Chapter Three: Rebellion in the Ranks

Chapter Three: Rebellion in the Ranks

  


MAI SAT HIGH in her throne of gold, towering above the rest of the room. Cats, dogs, mice, hogs, and even a few other humans sat at the three long tables, eating fruit and pies and drink cherry-flavored water. There was much conversation among the corsairs and pirates, and Mai knew that sooner or later, a fight would break out; it was just another average meal in her castle.

  


"So, would you be liking some dinner, Niblet?" the blue squirrel at her side asked, offering up a tray of apples.

  


"How many times have I asked you not to call me that, Nibbles?" the human replied, raking fingers through the coarse, red hair that dangled down from her black snappy hat, "It's such a pathetic name! I 'd like to be called something more power, something along the lines of 'Mistress of the Seas'."

  


Nearly annoyed enough to send the plate of apples down Mai's throat manually, Nibbles tried again. "Look, 'Mistress of the Seas', I'm here to make sure you're healthy, not to try out your new titles. Now, are you hungry for these apples? If you don't want to eat them, I'll send them down to the slaves. _They're_ hungry enough to eat them."

  


Mai's hand shot out for an apple. "And hungry they'll stay." The squirrel smiled, placing the tray on the throne's arm and pocketing her paws into the mint gingham she wore. Carefully, she began to back up and away from the island's queen.

  


"Nibbles,before you leave, would you tell me if news has come from Captain Bentwhiskers? How long ago did I send Bones to check on him? Two months? Yes, it's the seventeenth of November today."

  


"Bones has yet to return." Nibbles replied in a small voice. "Something must have happened to him. It was a small vessel- perhaps the Great October Storm sunk it?"

  


"Go to the docks and see if _any_ vessels have returned today, would you Nibbles?" Mai picked up another apple and sank her teeth into it. Then, rising, she shouted to all the pirates, "Anyone who can bring me news of Cap'n Bones and his ship Pear-Smasher or of Cap'n Bentwhiskers and his ship Cabin Snatcher will be rewarded a bag of thirty-thousand bells! Do it by morning, and I'll make it two bags!"

  


The ringside tables used to eat dinner on were knocked over, and tidbits of food landed all over the floor in the scramble. Captains line up their crews and made plans to find the source of information. Ambitious captains who hungered for easy bells made their crews march through the taverns in search of anyone who knew anything, while realist captains, knowing that the only way to find real information was to get it themselves, set out to the docks to visit Captain Bentwhiskers on the island.

  


Nibbles thought herself to be at a loss. The task that was supposed to be for her had been given away, handed without a care to the countless other animals who served under Mai. Sadly, she left the dining hall, letting Mai alone to finish her apples.

  


By now the docks were nearly empty. All of the sizeable liners had been taken out to join the race for the island held by Captain Bentwhiskers, which showed on maps as the Island of Lost Dreams. Why the early explorers called it that, of all things, none knew. Either way, there wasn't a doubt in anybody's mind that Bentwhiskers had taken the island for himself, and they would soon be fighting him to uphold Mai's honor.

  


And poor Nibbles was left all alone with Mai. Sighing and sitting at the edge of the dock, the young squirrel allowed her tail to float on the water as her mind dwelled on her lousy position. How much trouble she would be in by Mai, for she would fail to find the information requested of her.

  


Her eyes were focused out on the ocean, where the deep blue waters came toward her in the form of waves, where she was watching the backs of the disappearing vessels. So lost in her problems was she that she took a moment to realize that a ship, a very small ship, was coming her way. At first, she thought it had to be a mirage.

  


There was a single mast, and a single sail that rippled weakly in the westerly wind. Only one ship in Mai's fleet was that small: the one dubbed Pear-Smasher by the blue, peeling paint on its front. Nibbles leapt up and squinted out towards the ship.

  


A single form stood on-board, the form of a human female with pink hair and a patched shirt. Her large, black eyes were filled with sadness, and her mouth was suppressed into a thin frown. Catching sight of Nibbles and the Fortress of Mai behind the dock, she heaved an unheard sigh and disappeared into the cabin to tighten the sail.

  


The monkey porter sidled up behind Nibbles. "Well, who's coming in, eh? Eeek, eek!" He asked, squinting his eyes to better read the name on the approaching bow. "The Pear-Smasher? Isn't that the one Mai's looking for? Why, Miss Nibbles, I do believe you have won Madame Mai's contest, eh, eek?"

  


"Hey down there!" the human had returned to the deck. Leaning on the wood edge, she narrowed her eyes in an attempt to recognize the two forms staring at her. "Can you tell me if this is the island of Queen Mai?"

  


"Yes, it is," Nibbles called back, "may I speak to the captain of the ship?"

  


The Pear-Smasher inched closer, ready to take up a place at the end of the jetty. "I am the captain, and the crew. Cap'n Bones and the rest shall probably never return to this island."

  


Nibbles bit her lower lip with her bucked teeth as the human struggled to heave the anchor overboard and lay the boarding ramp safely over the side. Captain Bones being lost would not settle well at all with Mai.

  


"Come with me, would you? Our Mistress of the Seas dearly wishes to hear of your adventures." the squirrel said, at the girl came down the ramp.

  


By the look on her face and the heavy gulp she took, Nibbles could tell that the human was about to face the inevitable thing she would rather not. Yet, she stood strong and followed Nibbles silently with her black beetle eyes devoid of fear. Apparently, she had been ordered to return to Mai by a superior.

  


The gravel road crunched underpaw and the bleak, black walls of Mai's Fortress loomed higher and higher over their heads until they were swallowed up by the heavy, obsidian front doors. Braziers lined the Entrance Hall, sending up thick, dancing flames that were promptly eaten by the black, oppressive walls.

  


In the chamber that branched off to the right, the dining chamber, Mai had dozed off in her throne. The sound of the black, wooden doors sliding against the polished planks of the floor was enough to awaken her. Angered at her nap having been interrupted, she focused her eyes on the human next to Nibbles.

  


"Ah, Kaita, I see that you have finally returned. And about time, too. Have you come as spokesperson for the crew?" Though Mai's voice was high-pitched and friendly, her brown eyes were filled with contempt.

  


"Er, something like that." Kaita replied, stepping ahead of Nibbles and continuing up to the dais that held the queen's throne alone. "I have been sent across the seas by Bones to bring a very important message and deliver his final farewell."

  


Mai sat back in her heavily-padded throne. There was no need for Kaita to continue, as it was obvious what had become of the crew, but she waved to girl on anyway. She would have to hear the news before deciding what to do about it.

  


"Just as scheduled, we reached the Island of Lost Dreams on the first of October. Cap'n Bentwhiskers welcomed us grandly and offered an exquisite feast of rich fruit, mouth-watering fish, and the best cherry wine on the seas. Naturally, we all ate it. But the food was filled with a sleeping draught mixed by Bentwhiskers himself."

  


Here Mai interrupted her. "I don't really care for long stories. Spare the adjectives and get on with it."

  


In a hurried voice, Kaita finished her tale with few details. "They us. Cap'n Bones and the rest created a diversion while four of us escaped and took Pear-Smasher back here. We got caught in a storm on the way and the other three were lost. Without enough people to work the oars and quite unfriendly winds, it took me a while to get back. Here's my message: Bentwhiskers has betrayed you. He's taken the island for his own and says he can defeat anyone you send to fight him."

  


"Kaita, I know your message is true, but I'm a bit wary of your story. There is something you're lying about, I can tell, and you will become my personal servant because you can't tell the truth." Mai smiled at the horrified look on Kaita's face, then turned to Nibbles.

  


"Niblet, go out to the slave yard and bring me Parker. We have a war to fight with a traitor in our ranks."


	4. Chapter Four: A Meeting at Tom Nook's

Chapter Four: A Meeting at Tom Nook's

  


"A TROUBLING STORY that is." Tom said, shaking his head. "I never before knew that there were pirates on the seas before. Heck, I never even knew there were islands out there. Quite an interesting tale these outsiders bring."

  
  


Artry took a long, slow sip of her tea, which Tom Nook had insisted be paid for. She, Sniggar, and Mayor Tortimer were seated with Tom around a table in the back, private area of his shop. There were many boxes of merchandise laying about, and only a swinging lightbulb to light the small room, making it feel very cramped and a little eerie.

  
  


"We were hoping," Artry said slowly, trying to pick her words carefully, "you could be convinced to _donate_ some supplies for the poor crew. Their ship will be proper furnishings if our own villagers are to join the crew to go back and save their home, and a nice supply of food wouldn't be a bad idea."

  
  


Tom gave a hearty laugh. "No, I think not. Would be bad business to just give away the furniture. I'm afraid I'll just have to get you to buy if from me. Give me a number and I'll tell you how much I can give you for the price."

  
  


The mayor frowned. "I don't think you see how serious this is, Tom. These animals have no money. They couldn't afford any of your wares if they wanted to." His frown deepened. He didn't have enough money himself to pay for much, and it was too short a time to collect money from the villagers. If they couldn't get Tom to donate at least some, they would have to either put off helping the ship's crew, or turn them down altogether.

  
  


"Mr. Nook, with all due respect, it would do good for your reputation to donate supplies to the Wet Scoundrel's crew." Sniggar kept a straight face as she spoke, but she made Artry and Mayor Tortimer smile with her sudden brilliant idea. "If the villagers see that you are willing to be kind and do this, I can guarantee they will be more willing to spend their hard-earned bells here. If I knew you were a caring animal, I know I would shop here more."

  
  


A look of deep thought came over the greedy racoon's face. It went against everything he stood for to let anything go for free, but if it meant he could make up the loss later by getting more business....

  
  


"Indeed, I do believe you have a point there, Sniggar." he said, with one of his usual laughs. "And it's a sharp one too. I do have some furniture in the supply room that I haven't been able to sell yet. Surely our pirate ruffians will be able to survive with those."

  
  


There was an unseen sigh from Artry. "If you can just bring it all out front tomorrow, I'll send the crew to pick it up." she said, drinking from her tea cup again. "I'm more worried about food than furniture, though. Is there anything that you can offer so we don't have to go out and strip every fruit tree tonight?"

  
  


"Hoo hoo," Tom chuckled, "you do seem quite eager to get those ruffians out of our town, yes? Are they really that irritating?" He laughed once more at his clever joke and, when they refused to laugh with him, continued in a slightly more serious tone. "Hmm, yes, food is a bit more of a problem. I have plenty of fruit in the supply room, I run a continual trade of it with my cousins in other towns, and I have many turnips, but.... How are food items like that going to stay fresh for a whole voyage?"

  
  


The three sat in silence. They had all somehow assumed the food would stay good through the whole trip. "Great, this is going to be a problem." Sniggar said, lowering her head onto the table. "How did the crew keep fed through their trip?"

  
  


Tom Nook cleared his throat quietly, to attrack their attention back to them. Sniggar and Artry looked at him with curiousity, wondering what he had to say. Mayor Tortimer shook his head and kept his head down; he had experience dealing with the raccoon and knew he some money scheme ready.

  
  


"Where there is a will, there is a way, as they always say." Tom continued, not even noticing the slightly skeptic look the mayor wore. "There is a technology that may be used to keep our fruit fresh, something our ocean-faring friends might be familiar with. I have recently received a shipment of fridgerators- designed to keep all kinds of foods fresher for longer periods of time."

  
  


Artry nodded, going over the idea in her mind. "Yes, I've seen one in Henrietta's house. It just might work. How many could you give us, Tom?"

  
  


"Uh..." the raccoon replied cautiously, closing his eyes as though it was a painful thought, "I do not believe I could give you these for free. It would hurt my profit, yes? I'm afraid I'll have you charge you at least a thousand bells a piece."

  
  


There was a moment of silence, then an outburst of anger from Artry and Sniggar. "What?" The elderly bear cried, "you want us to pay _that_ much? How are we supposed to come up with a few thousand for some frigdes tonight?"

  
  


"I knew it was too good to be true that you were willing to part with the furniture." Artry said quietly, throwing a quick glare at Tom Nook. "Our greedy little friend here has to earn bells whatever way he can." The great eagle shook her head, sadly, "I'm afraid we'll have to let our stranded friends stay in the extra homes free for a few extra nights until we can gather enough bells to pay the price."

  
  


The mayor smiled at his two friends. It seemed that they, too, were learning how to deal with their local shopkeeper. There was one sure way to get Tom to do anything one wanted, and that was to mention the words "free" or "profit." He used a forefoot to push his spectacles up his wrinkled nose and looked intently at the raccoon to see how he would respond to this. Sure enough, Tom was getting a little red in the face and didn't look like he liked the idea of letting boarders stay free one bit.

  
  


"Don't be hasty to wait so long." Tom said predictably, giving a nervous chuckle, "I do believe I could let them slide for a little less. How about five items for only three thousand bells? That's a much better bargain, yes?"

  
  


Artry was ready to stand up and do a little shouting until the price was something they could pay in the next day when Mayor Tortimer spoke up. "That is a good bargain, Tom, and we will take it tonight. I'll give you the bells now and you put the refridgerators in with the other furniture when we come to pick it up tomorrow. Now we come to our next order of business." he held up a foot to Artry, stopping her from protesting his paying out of his own shell. "Those who we send out are going to be in need of a map if they want to reach the home island of our guests in a timely manner. If you could, perhaps find us a map, it would be helpful."

  
  


A thoughtful look came over the face of the raccoon. He got up, muttering quietly to himself, and went into the next room. Artry, Sniggar, and Mayor Tortimer stared at the door where he'd disappeared. They could hear him shuffling papers and throwing open drawers, all the time keeping up his low mutters. Sure that he wouldn't return for a few moments, Artry turned her powerful stare at the mayor.

  
  


"You shouldn't have paid for it out of your own pocket." she hissed angrily, "He is just using it as a way to con us out of our bells. If he really does have a map of the ocean back there, the crew could surely use it to find safe islands to gather fruit on!"

  
  


The mayor shook his head. "I had to give Tom something. Since he mentioned it, I knew he wasn't going to let us drop it without making us pay for some of the furniture as well. There would be no point in helping us if he didn't earn at least a few bells off us."

  
  


Before he could say anymore or Artry could continue the argrument, the door to the supply room burst open and Tom stuttered into the room, blinded by a pile of old parchments that was bmurralancing dangeroyously in his paws. He dropped them on the table and gave a relieved breath. "Well, here you have it. These are all the maps I have. If you can find anything worthwhile, I'll be willing to sell it to you for the low price of two hundred bells."

  
  


Not wanting to argue about bells anymore, Artry and Sniggar started to go through the pile. They sent the messy stack flying to the floor, searching eagerly for a map that would help their friends and neighbors on the journey. As they pooyieworked through the pile at top speed, Mayor Tortimer picked up a couple maps they tossed aside and watched the ones they continued to shovel away. After they got near the bottom and nothing had been found, he began to grow impatient.

  
  


"This is no good!" he sighed. "There aren't but maps of other cities and towns here. Don't you have a sea map _anywhere_ in this store? And I mean one showing more than one arbitrary island on it."

  


Tom shrugged. "Those are all that I have. They come from my brothers and uncles and cousins and nephews from all over the world. Most of us set up shop in towns, and I guess we haven't been really able to carry the business far across the ocean. We are all raccoons, you know, and none too good at swimming." He beganblub to go through some of the tossed aside maps, chuckling a little to himself. "Nope, I don't recall anyone in the family trying to work on even one of the close to shore islands before."

  
  


When the two had gotten to the bottom of the pile and found nothing of use, they decided it was time to go. "We shall return in the morning for the supplies you promised," the mayor told Tom Nook as they left, "and if they're not ready to go, the crew of the Wet Scoundrel will just have to stay here for another night. Be warned now that there is no way I'm going to let you charge the poor animals rent in the homes."

  
  


As soon as they were past the automatic doors of the Nook-Way and in the dark outside, Sniggar turned on Mayor Tortimer. The ancient turtle expected her to go off about his paying for the furniture himself rather than let the two of them help, but she had let Artry take care of that. What she said caught him off guard, and the cold, bold voice she said it in scared him.

  
  


"I have great respect for you, mayor, and I do not believe it is my place to speak against one of your desicions," she began, pausing slightly as though she herself were afraid to speak like this, "I do not believe it is right for my son to go. It is true what you said earlier, that they are going to need every available set of paws, but there is no need for my poor boy, young as he is to go. What use is a small bear going to do them? He'll be more of a hindrance than a help."

  
  


The mayor nodded knowingly. "It's quite fine, Sniggar, if you don't wish for your son to accompany our friends. It will be a dangerous quest for even our older members and I never intended him to go. He won't know that until tomorrow, though."

  
  


"Thank you, Mayor." the elderly bear said. She understood why he'd said it. Her son would be angry in the morning when he found that the ship would take sail without him, but she knew it was for the better. What good would he do the sailors at his young, vulnerable age, especially if he got caught by pirates upon reaching the island.

  
  


The three of them parted by the train station and said their good nights. Each of them feeling as though the world have changed massively tonight, they strode to their homes. Artry walked into her dark house and found herself unable to sleep, worried that somehow things had come together wrong. It felt to her that by sending out the members of her community to help their visitors in need, they were getting themselves into something much bigger. Something that would either end their lives or change them forever. 


	5. Chapter Five: The Travelling Camel

Chapter Five: The Travelling Camel

THE SUN WAS barely beginning to rise over the distant mountain range surrounding Milach Town. On her normal route, Saharah would be heading in that direction, preparing to spend this day around the nearer Piyu Town. Continuing on as usual, though, was far out of the question after what she'd heard the night before after finishing her rounds in the coast town of Nugar.

One of the rare humans that lived in the land was doing a trade-in with her the night before and, as was usual with her customers, was also trading news of what was happening around here for what was happening where'd she been. Most of the time, it was only trivial things that happened, nothing too big or too important. Rarely ever anything that she had to worry about. But this boy brought up something that almost made her pass out.

After hearing that, she quickly finished the transaction and left the town as quickly as she could. Recalling the stories the elders back in the desert used to tell her, she hurried along the coast to the northern city of Zaoch, where she hadn't been since her early days of carpet-selling.

The boy had told her that Zaoch and several other cities in the northern region, where she hadn't included on her route because of poor sells, had recently been taken over by a growing ocean empire. If she had learned anything from the elders, it was that history often repeats itself, and the last time there was a grand empire in their world it had disastrous results.

It an empire truly was developing among their free lands, she'd have to do everything in her power to stop it. First she'd have to reach one of the territories, Zaoch, for example, and find out just what was going on and who was behind it. Once she was completely sure and had enough information to act, she'd have to get as many people as possible to stand behind her. The elders had long taught her than anyone can make the difference, and all it takes is one person with the courage to stand up to stop a disaster such as this.

Of course, they had also taught her that it was up to the people of these lands to save their own homes. She was but a mere carpet-salescamel, who had only one goal in mind: to earn the money to support her own people. If trying to stop the disaster in these lands interferred with her personal and more important task she would be in trouble. It wasn't supposed to be her business what was happening here.

Still, she would at least have to get everything started. She didn't yet know whether the people in Zaoch had the courage or means to stand against an empire on their own, or whether they even knew what having one meant. If she only stopped long enough to open their eyes to the only way this could play out, then certainly no harm could be done. There was even a chance that some carpets may be sold to the grateful people once their lands were once again their own.

The first half of the day was wasted with getting to the city. Saharah watched the sun climb up through the clouds warily, knowing that someway or another she would have to make up the sales she had lost today. If she didn't, the elders would be angry with her and more of her people would have to go without food in their harsh homeland. With any luck, all would be taken care of in Zaoch.

The city didn't look very different at first sight, but there were those little underlying clues to what had happened. The flagpoles on the docks that had once proudly worn the seal of the city were now bearing the black pirate skull and the name "Mai". Streets once filled with cheerful people who had little need for carpets in their shabby homes were now walking the streets warily, trying to avoid everything they could and pretending they could see no distractions to their tasks. Everytime Saharah tried to stop someone to talk to them, they gave them a terrified, yet angry glare and continued on as though uninterrupted.

Seeing that she was going to find nothing on the streets, the camel continued to the police station. If there was one good place to find information, that was it. Trying to remember exactly where it was, she walked a few acres east until she saw the familiar cylinder shape sticking up ahead. Relieved that it was still there, she jogged over to it to speak to Officer Copper.

Only, he wasn't there. A burly-looking bull dog in a grey hat and black, skull shirt stood in his place. As Saharah approached, he gave her a curious look, noticing that there was something about her that was different from most of the city residents.

"Oi, you'd be a traveller, right? You're one puny animal, gutbag." He grunted then laughed. "You sure chose the wrong city to come to. This 'ere is property of the Great and Mighty Ruler, Empress Mai. You got to remember that name, gutbag, 'cause you're going to be saying it a heck of a lot fer the rest of your pathetic life."

He snapped and three more bull dogs, these ones wearing shirts with the same logo as the flags, jumped out and easily wrestled Saharah to the ground. In her futile struggle, her bag was ripped by one of their claws and one of her precious carpets fell out and rolled to the feet of the first officer. Smiling and giving another grunt laugh, he picked it up and unrolled it enough to see its design. A look of surprise flashed on his face, then he resumed snickering.

"Well, well, well. Looks like we've got ourselves an artist. You boys had better ship this one off ter Parker." he rerolled up the carpet and stuffed it back into the back. Leaning down to face Saharah, he spoke with another disgusting laugh. "Looks like you might end up being useful, gutbag. Empress Mai could sure use some of them pretty carpets in her palace. And if you can't make them yourself, I'd suggest you'd learn real fast, 'cause the Empress sure doesn't like to be disappointed."

By nightfall, Saharah had been packed on a boat with several other pathetic-looking animals. Unable to do their jobs in Zaoch, they were being sent with her to Parker, whom she had been told was the master of the slaves on a land called by the ancients the Island of Storms, where the Empress Mai had built her palace. The others who were joining her spent the trip in depression, bemoaning their poor fate and cursing their bad luck to be caught taking breaks or falling from exhaustion caused by their never-ceasing work. The camel, on the other hand, was almost looking forward to seeing their destination.

It was yet another story told to her by the elders. There was an ancient prophecy told about the Island of Storms, that one day, when the world looked darkest, the meaning of its name would be fully revealed. Maybe there was more to this than she'd at first thought. Maybe, just maybe, the elders wouldn't get too made at her for getting captured by these hooligans who thought themselves building a grand empire and being delayed in her task as well.


End file.
